Decreased rainfall predicted for Antigua and Caribbean

Residents have been welcoming the sporadic showers and rightfully so, after months of a dry stretch.

But if predictions from the Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology is correct, then Antigua and Barbuda and other Caribbean islands are expected to see lower-than-normal rainfall from this month to February.

The Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) said today Monday that the forecast will produce wet days, and wet spells, but an increase in dry spells. 

CIMH said long-term drought has developed in Antigua along with Western Cuba, southwestern Hispaniola, southern Jamaica, Martinique, St. Barts and St. Vincent.

“In contrast, drought concerns arise in Cuba and The Bahamas, which may end up even drier than usual. In the Guianas, the secondary wet season comes with a high likelihood of excessive rainfall, resulting in high flood potential, and rising water levels in soils, rivers, and reservoirs through February. No heat discomfort is expected in this season,” it added. 

The CIMH is predicting that over the next three months, there is a high potential for flooding, flash floods, landslides/rock fall, and soil erosion from very wet and extreme wet spells in the Guianas.